Mystery Behind Unusual Markings on Mars Has Been Solved—And They Aren’t What Researchers Hoped For
Hope for flowing water on modern-day Mars appears dashed after recent work examined mysterious markings on the red planet's surface.
Ryan Whalen
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
Hydrogen-Powered Jets Move Closer to Takeoff as RTX Breakthroughs Point to the Future of Flight
RTX engineers are pushing the limits of aviation technology, bringing hydrogen-powered technology to the aircraft industry.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Spotted Something on Mars That Scientists Have Never Seen Before
Mars experienced an aurora in March 2024, turning the sky green, as a solar storm produced the first visible light Martian aurora on record.
Human DNA Spliced into Mice Caused Them to Grow Abnormally Large Brains, Revealing Clues to Evolution of Intelligence
Genetic scientists have spliced human DNA into mice, resulting in rodents with increased brain mass, offering new clues to human evolution.
New Milky Way Model Explores What Lies Between the Stars with Surprising Revelations
The Milky Way Galaxy's magnetic turbulence stands revealed in an innovative new computer model describing the expanse between stars.
Mapping Lunar Mysteries, NASA’s Newest Gravity Model is Redefining the Moon’s Interior
NASA’s latest gravitational data model of the Moon generated a litany of discoveries from ancient volcanoes to navigational information.
An Underwater Volcano Off the Pacific Coast Could Soon Erupt—Here’s What You Need to Know
The underwater volcano, Axial Seamount, off the coast of the Pacific Northwest is heading to eruption for the first time in a decade.
Scientists Propose Breakthrough Model for the Long-Sought ‘Theory of Everything’
A long-elusive "theory of everything" may finally be within reach as Finnish researchers unveil a new quantum theory of gravity.
Seismic Signals Hint at Presence of Liquid Water Deep Beneath the Martian Surface
Recent Martian seismic activity suggests water in the Red Planet's crust, a potential boon to long term human habitation in the future.
Transmuting Lead into Gold, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Achieves Alchemist’s Dreams for a Fraction of a Second
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has momentarily transformed lead into gold, the long-sought-after goal of medieval alchemists.
NASA’s Hubble Spots Runaway Black Hole Devouring a Star 600 Million Light-Years From Earth
A traveling black hole stalking the cosmos for stellar prey recently revealed itself by shredding a star in a radioactive burst.
This Edible Robot Becomes Fish Food After Completing Remote Sensing Missions
An edible robot designed by Swiss researchers is taking cues from nature, offering remote sensing with fewer environmental concerns.
Strange ‘Terrell-Penrose Effect’ Observed in Lab For the First Time, in New Confirmation of Einstein’s Special Relativity
Physicists have demonstrated the Terrell-Penrose effect, which causes an object moving close to the speed of light to warp before our eyes.
NASA’s IXPE Solves Mystery of X-Ray Emissions from Supermassive Black Hole
A supermassive black hole, blazar BL Lacertae, has finally revealed how these cosmic features generate X-rays thanks to NASA's IXPE.
Controversial Plan to Block Sunlight with Geoengineering Advanced by Shadowy UK Government Agency
Controversial geoengineering research, including a plan to block sunlight, could be just as dangerous as the climate crisis scientists warn.
James Webb Telescope Unveils Secrets of Small, Mysterious Planets That “Don’t Exist in Our Solar System.”
For the first time, astronomers have used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to peer through the thick haze of a sub-Neptune planet’s atmosphere, offering new clues about one of the universe’s most mysterious and common types of worlds.
Breakthrough in Superconductor Research Brings Room-Temperature Dreams Closer to Reality
Superconductors are one major step closer to practical use thanks to new work from Columbia University physicists.
ESA’s Gaia Mission Unveils a Stellar Mystery, and Astronomers “Haven’t Found Anything Quite Like It Before”
The Gaia star surveyor has identified strange behavior in a group of stars rushing to escape their birthplace, unlike any others observed.
Archaeologists Unearth 2000-Year-Old Evidence of Psychedelic Use by This Enigmatic Ancient Culture
Hallucinogens proved to be one of the most powerful tools of Peru's ancient Chavín Phenomenon society for maintaining hierarchy.
Astronomers Solve 20-Year Mystery of Magnetar Flare, Revealing the Source of Our Universe’s Gold
Magnetar flares produce gold, platinum, and other heavy elements in our galaxy, says new research on a strange cosmic flash over 20 years ago.
Scientists Discover Super-Earths Are Surprisingly Common Across the Galaxy
Exoplanet super-Earths are more prevalent in the universe than earlier research predicated according to international scientists.
Astronomers Learn Something “Very Surprising” While Studying the Mysterious Asteroid Vesta
Vesta, the strange object in our solar system that has long fascinated astronomers isn't what it appears according to new research.
NASA is Firing a Hybrid Rocket into Simulated Moon Dust to Help Plan for Artemis Lunar Landings
NASA researchers at Huntsville are conducting research to ensure that landings on potentially unstable lunar surface proceed reliably.
“They Will Act as Lighthouses in Space.” China Saves Off-Course Satellites Using Gravity Slingshot After Launch Failure
China rebounded from a failed March 2024 space mission by saving two off-orbit satellites through a novel navigation technique.
Orbilander Mission Revamp Brings NASA Closer to Finding Life on Saturn’s Mysterious Moon Enceladus
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Team X is suggesting major changes to the proposed Orbilander mission to Enceladus.
2000-Year-Old Herculaneum Scrolls Scorched by Mount Vesuvius Are Being Digitally “Unrolled” with AI and X-Rays
The ancient Herculaneum scrolls' long lost writings, charred and buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, are finally coming to light.
A Green Fireball Exploded Above Australia, Shocking Residents and Raising Questions
A green fireball brighter than the full moon surprised Australians with a massive bang Monday night, leaving questions about what occurred.
MIT Develops Ultra-Thin Sensor Skin That Could Redefine Night Vision and Wearable Tech
An electronic sensor "skin" grown by MIT engineers could revolutionize next-generation night vision and autonomous vehicles.
SETI Expands the Search for Extraterrestrial Life to a Community Scientists
The SETI Institute is bringing the search for extraterrestrial life to a broader group of budding scientists with new hands-on opportunities.
Los Alamos Scientists Reveal Clever New Method of Detecting Earthquakes and Controlled Blasts
Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have advanced a new Earthquake detection method using underwater fiber optic cables.
NASA’s TESS Spots Evaporating Planet in Death Spiral That’s Producing a Comet-Like Tail
A distant exoplanet is quickly disintegrating 140 light-years from Earth, spotted by MIT astronomers through NASA's TESS mission.
Yellowstone Supervolcano Has a Hidden Magma Cap—How Close Are We to an Eruption?
Yellowstone Caldera, the volcanic complex underneath Yellowstone National Park, is held at bay from eruption by a cap 3.8 meters underground.
Curiosity Uncovers Evidence of Ancient Martian Carbon Cycle That May Have Sustained Life
NASA's Curiosity rover has found new evidence that Mars once had a working carbon cycle in its ancient past.
New ‘Spinning Universe’ Theory Could Explain a Decades-Old Cosmological Mystery
The entire universe may be rotating, like its individual parts do, potentially explaining the “Hubble tension,” which perplexes scientists.
“New and Intriguing” Mars Discoveries Made by NASA’s Perseverance Rover are “All We Had Hoped for and More”
Mars's Jezero Crater is offering scientists a treasure trove of intriguing new findings that may hide clues to the Martian past.
New Fungus-Based Building Material Heals Itself, Paving the Way Toward Self-Repairing Structures
A new Fungus and bacteria-based building material demonstrates a healing ability that could lead to self-repairing structures.
A Long-Dormant Supermassive Black Hole Has Awakened, and It’s Doing Something Extreme and Unusual
A supermassive black hole that scientists have nicknamed "Ansky" is now awake after a long dormant period, emitting powerful X-ray flares.
Scientists Have Discovered an Unknown Lifeform Deep Within the Earth
A new microbe category was discovered in Earth's Critical Zone, a sort of "skin" extending beneath the planet's surface.
James Webb Space Telescope Captures a Planet Being Consumed by Its Star for the First Time, with Unexpected Results
The James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI instrument has captured the final moments of a planet's existence, unexpectedly revealing that the object descended into its host star rather than being engulfed by it as it grew.
“This is Something We Did Not See Coming.” New Physics from Odd Shapes Predicts what Appears as Random Motion
Basic physics quickly gets messy in an irregular world, scientists discover in new research on the old problem of a ball rolling downhill.
Hidden Galaxies Could “Break All of our Current Models” of Galactic Evolution, Astronomers Say
Hidden galaxies offering a glimpse into the past could reveal previously unknown secrets of the universe, challenging current models.
Previously Unknown Ancient Human Lineage Discovered in Libyan Rock Shelter
Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa roughly 50,000 years ago, but scientists have now discovered that some chose to remain behind.
This Pharmaceutical Pollutant is Creating ‘Psycho Salmon,’ Causing Them to Display Concerning Behavior
A pharmaceutical pollutant, clobazam, is turning up in global waterways and altering the behavior of marine creatures.
Curious Grad Student Accidentally Discovers Shape-Changing Liquid That Bends the Laws of Thermodynamics
Bendng the laws of thermodynamics, University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have discovered a surprising "shape-changing liquid."
Life on Titan? Scientists Are Rethinking Whether Alien Life Could Thrive on Saturn’s Mysterious Icy Moon
A new study challenges past optimism scientists have expressed about whether life could exist on Saturn's moon Titan.
Altar of the Storm God: Archaeologists Unearth New Evidence of an Ancient Mayan Tale of Conquest
An ancient Mayan altar in Tikal, a 2,400-year-old city in Guatemala, evidences a quasi-imperial control system before the Spanish arrival.
In the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, This Surprising Result May Bring us Closer to a Groundbreaking Discovery
"What if extraterrestrial life is not found?" international researchers ask, seeking to understand how negative results could aid future work.
A Chorus of Stars 2,700 Light-Years Away is “Singing,” and Scientists Are Listening
Stars 2,700 light years away are singing a song that researchers are listening to, uncovering stellar evolution.
New “Impossible” Material Leads Researchers to a Quantum Computing Breakthrough
An impossible quantum structure has now been fabricated, potentially leading the way to new developments in quantum computing.
Doomed Binary Star System to Produce Brilliant Explosion in the Distant Future
A binary star system about 150 light years from Earth, right on our cosmic doorstep, is on track to collide as a type 1a supernova.